Antiprotozoal

Antiprotozoal

An antiprotozoal destroys protozoa or inhibits their growth and ability to reproduce. A protozoa is single-cell organism, many times larger than bacteria. A few of the protozoa of medical importance include Plasmodium vivax (the cause of malaria); Entamoeba histolytica (the cause of amebiasis, amebic dysentery); Entamoeba coli, one of the most common undetected parasitic conditions; Trichomonas vaginalis (a cause of vaginal infection); and Pneumocystis carinii (a common cause of pneumonia in immunodeficient persons). Examples of antiprotozoals are mefloquin and primaquin.